SEC News and Notes

ALABAMA: The Crimson Tide played a close game with LSU for three quarters, but the nation's No. 1 team pulled away late with 21 unanswered points to capture the 38-17 victory. The difference-maker in the triumph was running back T.J. Yeldon, who rushed for 133 yards on 25 carries while scoring two touchdowns, one late in the third quarter and one early in the fourth, to put the game out of reach. A.J. McCarron was his typically efficient self, completing 14-of-20 passes for 179 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and he is now the program's all-time leader in career passing yards (7,997). O.J. Howard caught just one pass on the evening, but it went for a 52-yard score early in the second quarter. The defense was excellent as usual, holding LSU to just 284 total yards (43 rushing), and C.J. Mosley was the spark plug with 12 tackles. Alabama (9-0, 6-0 SEC) will attempt to continue its domination this season when it faces Mississippi State on the road this Saturday.

ARKANSAS: The Razorbacks' under whelming season continued at Ole Miss over the
weekend, as they fell in a 34-24 final, for their seventh consecutive setback.
Brandon Allen paced a modest offensive attack by completing 18-of-32 passes
for 193 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Julian Horton was
Allen's top target on the day, reeling in four passes for 66 yards, including
a 20-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Williams (14 carries,
67 yards) and Alex Collins (10 carries, 57 yards) were both solid out of the
backfield, although it was Kiero Small (two carries, four yards) who scored.
Despite picking off two passes, the defense ultimately had no answer for the
Rebels, who racked up 531 total yards. Arkansas (3-7, 0-6 SEC) will try to put
an end to its drought on Nov. 23 at home versus Mississippi State.

AUBURN: The Tigers continued their outstanding season by going into Knoxville
and dismantling Tennessee over the weekend, 55-23, for their sixth straight
victory. Nick Marshall was the catalyst, amassing 214 rushing yards and two
touchdowns. It was the second-best rushing game for an SEC quarterback in the
last 10 seasons. Marshall didn't need to throw much on the day -- he completed
just 3-of-7 attempts -- but one went for a 25-yard touchdown to C.J. Uzomah.
Tre Mason was outstanding in the ground game, racking up 117 yards on 20
carries and three touchdowns, giving him seven touchdowns over the past two
weeks and 16 on the season. Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant combined to
tally 101 rushing yards, and Grant returned the second-half kickoff 90 yards
for a touchdown. Auburn (9-1, 5-1 SEC) will attempt to continue its run this
Saturday when it plays host to Georgia.

FLORIDA: The Gators' disappointing season reached new lows in their Homecoming
matchup versus Vanderbilt, losing 34-17 to dip below .500 this late in the
season for the first time since 1979. The offense was plagued by four
turnovers, with three of those coming via Tyler Murphy interceptions. Although
his mistakes ultimately cost the team a chance at victory, Murphy finished
with a career-high 305 yards and a touchdown on 30-of-46 passing, with Quinton
Dunbar (six receptions, 77 yards) and Trey Burton (six receptions, 74 yards)
acting as his favorite targets. Thanks to five sacks of Murphy for a loss of
44 yards, the rushing attack averaged only 1.1 yards per carry. Kelvin Taylor
finished with 47 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. The offense spoiled a
great performance by the defense, which despite allowing 34 points, held
Vanderbilt to just 183 total yards. Florida (4-5, 3-4 SEC) hopes it can halt
its four-game losing streak this Saturday at South Carolina.

GEORGIA: The Bulldogs faced FCS foe Appalachian State in their Homecoming
matchup on Saturday, and came away with an easy 45-6 victory. Aaron Murray
completed 19-of-26 passes for 281 yards, and with two touchdowns became the
SEC's career leader in touchdown passes with 115. Rantavious Wooten had a big
day receiving, hauling in four balls for 104 yards and a touchdown, while
Michael Bennett (five receptions, 87 yards, TD) and Jonathon Rumph (four
receptions, 98 yards) were also reliable targets for Murray. Todd Gurley was
limited to just 13 carries in the blowout, although he made the most of his
touches with 75 yards and a touchdown. The defense held ASU to only 253 yards,
with Ramik Wilson leading the way with 12 tackles. Georgia (6-3, 4-2 SEC) has
salvaged a disappointing season with two straight wins and will have a tough
test this Saturday at Auburn.

KENTUCKY: The Wildcats' unfortunate season continued against nationally-ranked
Missouri over the weekend, as they were blown out on their home field, 48-17.
The squad had no answer for the high-powered Tigers' attack, which generated
426 yards and seven touchdowns. Jalen Whitlow earned the start under center
and completed 17-of-27 passes for 225 yards, and rushed for 44 yards and a
touchdown, although he was on his back most of the afternoon, being sacked
seven times. Raymond Sanders (15 carries, 34 yards) was largely ineffective
out of the backfield, although he did score on a one-yard run in the third
quarter. Sanders was also the team's top receiver with four catches for 70
yards. Kentucky (2-7, 0-5 SEC) has three more opportunities this season to
notch its first conference win, starting with a road test versus Vanderbilt
this Saturday.

LSU: The Tigers played a close matchup with their arch rival Alabama on the
road for three quarters, but in the end the No. 1 team in the nation was too
much to handle as they dropped a 38-17 decision. Zach Mettenberger did his
best to carve up the outstanding Crimson Tide defense by completing 16-of-23
passes for 241 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, with Jarvis Landry
(five catches, 90 yards) stringing together a few big plays out wide. While
the passing game found success, the rushing attack sputtered, gaining just 43
yards on 31 carries, although Jeremy Hill found the end zone early in the
second quarter. Turnovers were the difference in the game, as the Tigers
coughed up two fumbles, including one at the Alabama one-yard line, while
failing to create a takeaway on defense. LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC) will lick its
wounds during a bye week before returning to action at home on Nov. 23 versus
Texas A&M.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: The Bulldogs put up a fight at nationally-ranked Texas A&M,
but they ultimately fell short in a 51-41 shootout. While Tyler Russell (8-
of-14, 77 yards, TD) earned the start under center, it was Dak Prescott who
made headlines. On top of throwing for 149 yards and two touchdowns, Prescott
wowed out of the pocket with a career-high 154 rushing yards, his fourth 100-
yard rushing performance this season. The ground game, which racked up 299
yards, also got strong performances from Josh Robinson (six carries, 73 yards,
TD) and LaDarius Perkins (17 carries, 55 yards, TD). The quarterbacks'
combined success led to an impressive game from De'Runnya Wilson, who caught
seven passes for 75 yards and two scores. Unfortunately, the defense had no
answer for the Aggies, who gained 537 total yards. Mississippi State (4-5, 1-4
SEC) will have difficulty halting its two-game slide when it hosts No. 1
Alabama this Saturday.

MISSOURI: The Tigers' reign atop the SEC Eastern Division continued in
convincing fashion, as they defeated Kentucky in Lexington on Saturday, 48-17,
behind a pair of record-setting performances. Making his fourth straight start
in place of the injured James Franklin, Maty Mauk completed 17-of-28 passes
for 203 yards and tied a school record with five touchdown passes. Four of
those scoring strikes found the grasp of Dorial Green-Beckman, which is also a
program record. Green-Beckham finished with seven receptions for 100 yards.
The ground game was in full effect as well with 223 yards. Henry Josey led the
way with 113 yards and two touchdowns. The defense held Kentucky to just 369
total yards and sacked quarterback Jalen Whitlow seven times. Missouri (9-1,
5-1 SEC) will face a tricky road test on Nov. 23 when it takes on Ole Miss.

OLE MISS: The Rebels won their third straight game and became bowl eligible
after taking care of business on the road at Arkansas this past Saturday,
claiming a 34-24 triumph. The offense amassed 531 yards on the afternoon and
was led by Bo Wallace, who completed 26-of-33 passes for a career-high 407
yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Wallace's success led to
big days from a few different receivers. Donte Moncrief hauled in seven balls
for 149 yards and a touchdown, and Ja-Mes Logan tallied five catches for 110
yards and a score. Laquon Treadwell had just 39 receiving yards, but he
finished with a game-high eight catches and also scored. Barry Brunetti, the
backup quarterback, scored on a one-yard run late in the first quarter. Ole
Miss (6-3, 3-3 SEC) steps out of conference this Saturday to host Troy.

SOUTH CAROLINA: After claiming back-to-back wins over Missouri (27-24 2OT) and
Mississippi State (34-16), the Gamecocks (7-2, 5-2 SEC) enjoyed a bye week.
They will continue their season-closing, four-game homestand this Saturday
when they entertain the Florida Gators.

TENNESSEE: The Volunteers' struggles continued at home versus Auburn, as they
allowed 444 rushing yards on their way to a 55-23 loss. Freshman quarterback
Joshua Dobbs made his second career start and under whelmed, completing 16-
of-25 passes for 128 yards with an interception. Rajion Neal impressed out of
the backfield with 124 yards on 20 carries, and he managed to score the team's
only offensive touchdown in the game when he ran in from 17 yards out in the
second quarter. Marquez North acted as Dobbs' favorite target, hauling in five
passes for 58 yards. While the defense did not play well as a whole, there was
one bright spot late in the second quarter when Jacques Smith intercepted a
pass and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown, which brought its deficit to
just seven at the time. Tennessee (4-6, 1-5 SEC) will try to halt its three-
game losing streak on Nov. 23 when it plays host to Vanderbilt.

TEXAS A&M: Although the Aggies allowed Mississippi State to hang around for
the entire game, their explosive offense carried them to a 51-41 triumph for
the program's 700th win. Johnny Manziel continued his Heisman-worthy campaign
by completing 30-of-39 passes for 446 yards and five touchdowns, while adding
47 rushing yards for good measure. It was Manziel's fifth career 400-yard
passing game, and the five passing scores matched his career high, but he
still wasn't at his sharpest as he threw three interceptions, giving him 11
picks on the season. Johnny Football's big day resulted in a trio of
outstanding receiving performances from Malcome Kennedy (eight receptions, 96
yards, two TDs), Travis Labhart (six receptions, 102 yards, two TDs) and Mike
Evans (five receptions, 116 yards). The ground game played second-fiddle on
the evening with just 91 yards, although Trey Williams and Ben Malena both
scored. The defense continues to be cause for concern, as the unit allowed MSU
to rack up 556 total yards. Texas A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC) will face back-to-back
nationally-ranked foes on the road to finish out the season, starting with LSU
on Nov. 23.

VANDERBILT: The Commodores were able to end a 22-game losing streak to Florida
over the weekend by capturing a 34-17 victory in Gainesville. Jerron Seymour
was bottled up on the ground, gaining just 62 yards on 24 carries, but the
team's commitment to the run paid off in the end, as he scored three
touchdowns, including one early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of
reach. Patton Robinette wasn't asked to do much under center, completing just
6-of-12 passes for 57 yards, but he too found the end zone on the ground with
a five-yard scoring run in the second quarter. The defensive effort was as big
a reason as any for the upset win as the unit forced four turnovers, including
three picks of UF quarterback Tyler Murphy. Vanderbilt (5-4, 2-4 SEC) will try
to keep the momentum going this Saturday when it plays host to Kentucky.